A recently issued dog license tag reunited a lost dog with his worried owner after she saw his photo in The Madera Tribune and was contacted by city animal control personnel.

The 3-year-old dog had disappeared during the 4th of July fireworks and had been missing since. The animal shelter is inundated every year with many untagged dogs that run off and get lost around the holiday.

Most lost animals are not reclaimed by their owners, and roughly only 30 percent of all shelter animals find new homes.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw his little face in the newspaper. I was so worried, I was sure something had happened to him. He gets very upset by all the fireworks this time of year,” said owner Dora Camarena...